An 'Eggs'travaganza Trivia Quiz

Answer: Poached

The muffin is split into halves and topped with ham or bacon, a poached egg and covered with Hollandaise sauce. There are varying versions of how the dish obtained its name, but they are all based on its being named after someone with the surname of Benedict. There are several variations on the dish, with the ham being replaced by mushrooms in Portobello Benedict and by avocado in Huevos Benedict. The latter dish also adds salsa sauce to the Hollandaise sauce.

Answer: Croque-madame

The croque-monsieur has been around since the early part of the twentieth century, and was mentioned by Proust in 'Remembrance of Things Past'. The name comes from monsieur, meaning mister, and croque which means crunch. Madame is the French name for Mrs., and madesmoiselle is miss. Femme can be translated as woman, or wife, and fille as daughter, or girl.

Answer: Potato

The only ingredients allowed in the original version of the Spanish omelette are eggs and potato, although onion is often added. Nowadays, other vegetables, such as peas, are regularly included. The Spanish name for the dish is tortilla, but the name is often adapted to distinguish it from the Mexican tortilla, made from corn, which is a totally different eating experience.

Answer: Queen of Puddings

The use of breadcrumbs soaked in milk as a pudding can be traced back to the seventeenth century. Queen of Puddings has breadcrumbs, milk, sugar and butter mixed with hot milk, with an egg yolk added once the mixture is cool. This mixture is then baked until set, before being covered with jam and stiffly beaten egg white before being baked again to brown the meringue, before being eaten hot.

Answer: Bacon

The 'full English breakfast' can include many other items, such as sausages, black pudding, baked beans, fried potatoes, mushrooms and tomato, but the basis of the breakfast is bacon and eggs. It is also referred to as a 'fry-up' and is offered by many catering establishments throughout the day, as an 'all day breakfast' This adds weight to W. Somerset Maugham's comment that the way to eat well in England is to eat breakfast three times a day.

Answer: Devilled eggs

The expression 'devilled' is applied to food which is highly seasoned, and its first use can be dated to the eighteenth century. Many foods can be served devilled, including kidneys, game and other meats. Devilled eggs are also known as eggs mimosa or Russian eggs, amongst other variations. The fillings can vary from mustard and mayonnaise to caviar, cream and anchovy.

Answer: Sausage meat

The first recipe to appear in print was in 1809, in a cookery book written by a Mrs. Rundell. The hard boiled egg is surrounded by sausage meat, coated with flour and breadcrumbs before being deep fried. The majority of Scotch eggs sold in the UK now are factory produced, pre-packaged and sold in supermarkets. They bear little resemblance to the original creation and, since it is so easy to make, I would recommend trying your hand at creating your own.

Answer: Florence

Eggs Florentine consist of the usual ingredients of the muffin, eggs and sauce, but with spinach as the base. Most dishes with Florentine in their name do contain spinach, with the tradition possibly dating back to the sixteenth century. It seems more likely that the link between spinach and Florence became established in nineteenth century France.

Answer: Soldiers

Producing the perfect soft boiled egg is not easy, as the white has to be cooked until set while leaving the yolk runny so that the soldiers can be dipped into it. There are various methods of achieving this, with some cooks recommending starting the egg in cold water and then bringing it to the boil, while others suggest boiling the water first, then adding the egg. There are various timing methods too, with the traditional egg timer being the best known. The name of 'soldiers' is believed to derive from the resemblance of the sliced bread to the ranks of men on parade.

Answer: Italy

The name of frittata derives from the Italian verb meaning 'to fry'. In Italy, the word was used for any food which involved the frying of eggs, although in other countries the name applied only to omelette like dishes. As well as eggs, many other ingredients are included ranging from meat and cheese to vegetables and pasta. The resulting dish is cut into slices and can be eaten either hot or cold, and is quite a substantial meal.